The proliferation of smart phones and other personal data devices has created an increased bandwidth demand for wireless data and service capabilities, as well as an increase in wireless traffic. The existing cell tower radios are having difficulty keeping up with the bandwidth demands required by the increased traffic. To meet such demands, existing cell tower radios are being supplemented with metro cell radios (hereinafter, metro cells).
A large number of metro cells are required to provide the desired wireless demands. Metro cells are small, such that they can easily be mounted on any widely available support, such as telephone poles or building walls. One metro cell is substantially cube-shaped or substantially rectangular-shaped. The sides of the metro cell can be as small as a few inches or slightly larger depending upon the enclosure in which the metro cell is housed. Due to the small size of the metro cells, municipalities and home owner associations generally do not object to their placement in the community. Additionally, their small size allows the metro cells to be easily deployed indoors. Accordingly, the scope of network coverage can be greatly expanded and improved through the additional of metro cells to the network.
However, each metro cell must be connected to a base station router (BSR), a radio network controller (RNC) or similar system to process and hand-off calls. As with existing large cell tower networks, the metro cells can be connected to the base station routers with fiber optic cables or microwave systems, although such connections can be copper cables or Ethernet system. When metro cells are deployed in areas in lieu of a cell tower, many metro cells are required because the metro cells provide a smaller coverage area. Additionally, many metro cells are deployed to expand the coverage area or to handle high traffic areas. Hundreds of thousands of individual metro cells may end up being handled by a single base station router. Accordingly, a need exists for a metro cell aggregator enclosure that funnels signals from the metro cells into a more manageable number of connections that can be handled by the base station router.
Another problem associated with the metro cells is the large number of fiber optic cables running between the metro cells and the base station router, which metro cells are often disposed in areas that do not have existing telephone company cabinets or enclosures. Accordingly, a need exists for a metro cell aggregator enclosure that manages the fiber optic cables between the metro cells and the base station router.
Another problem associated with the metro cells is the need to provide a demarcation point between the incumbent local exchange carrier (ILEC) and the wireless service provider. The ILEC, which could be the local telephone company, provides Ethernet-based service connections and are often over fiber cable. The wireless service provider owns the metro cell radio. In some instances, as few as a single demarcation point may be required.
Additionally, the metro cell aggregator enclosures must be comparably sized to the metro cells. The metro cell aggregator enclosures must be of a size acceptable for public mounting. Accordingly, a need exists for a compact metro cell aggregator enclosure.